EL BATAN, Mexico (October 14, 2014)- To WHEAT, partnerships are paramount. We aim to involve partners at all levels in decision making and steering, and your feedback matters. The WHEAT Partner Priority Survey was sent to more than 200 organizations — national agricultural research institutes, universities, private companies, NGOs and international research organizations — in September 2012. The 92 respondents (44 percent of those surveyed) provided information on institutional priorities, engagement and activities in Strategic Initiatives (SIs), as well as priorities for investment in international agricultural R4D and desired outcomes from SIs.

So, what do 92 WHEAT partners want from international agricultural research?

Partners across most regions and institutions prioritized SI 4 (better wheat varieties) and SI 5 (resistance/tolerance to diseases and pests) for institutional and IAR4D investment.

Continued investment in research to combat wheat stem rust disease (under SI 5) is a major priority in all regions.

Regarding “WHEAT measures of success,” respondents placed the greatest importance on meeting growing food demands (food security) and expanding the capacity of agricultural research through greater engagement with all stakeholders.

The results highlight opportunities to strengthen and expand the scope of WHEAT, as it transitions through the 2014-2016 extension phase and from SIs to Flagship Projects.

“The survey has shown us how important it is for a global research program such as WHEAT to be aware of partners’ distinct regional priorities and preferences,” said Matthew Audley, visiting Ph.D. student from Rothamsted Research and lead author of the survey report. “We’ll use these results for discussions with partners about content for the Phase II proposal of WHEAT.”

EL BATAN, Mexico (October 8,2014)- The Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP) provides tools and services in a user-friendly and integrated package for the full range of breeding operations, from straightforward phenotyping to complex genomic selection. The IBP website offers public access to products such as diagnostic markers and germplasm, training resources, peer communities and a large provider network. The core product, the Breeding Management System (BMS), offers a greater range of tools than other commercial products and comes with appropriate training and timely support services. The system and complementary services are delivered by IBP regional hubs to ensure adoption, customization and responsiveness to local needs.

EL BATAN, Mexico (September 18, 2014)- Dr. Bram Govaerts, associate director of CIMMYT’s global conservation agricultural program and leader of a joint CIMMYT-government of Mexico major initiative known as the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro), will receive the 2014 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation. The Award was announced by U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, World Food Prize President, at the USAID Frontiers in Development Forum in Washington, D.C., on 18 September, and will be given as part of the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue international symposium on 15 October. It recognizes work by a researcher under 40 years old who emulates the scientific innovation and dedication to food security practiced by 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug.

EL BATAN, Mexico (September 2,2014)- Wheat x grass crosses – known as “synthetic” wheats – were developed 25 years ago by a CIMMYT research team and have since been used in breeding programs worldwide. The first synthetic-derived variety to reach farms, Chuanmai 42, arrived in the Sichuan Basin of China in 2003 and allowed wheat farmers there to boost yields by as much as 20 percent – the most significant increase in the region for decades.

A new report, “Physiological Factors Underpinning Grain Yield Improvements of Synthetic Derived Wheat in South Western China”, was published in Crop Science and has shed light on the physiological differences that can give Chuanmai 42 and other synthetic derivatives better yields. “In our three-year study, the synthetic crosses were more vigorous in early growth stages and grew more above ground at flowering time than non-synthetic varieties,” said Garry Rosewarne, CIMMYT wheat scientist and corresponding author of the report. “At maturity, more dry matter was partitioned to grain in the synthetic varieties and the plants were more erect and compact.”

EL BATAN, Mexico (July 21, 2014)- Scientists from Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States have produced a draft map of the bread wheat genome, as revealed in a 17-July series of articles in Science. A full map of the huge and complex genome—the result of repeated hybridization among three grass species over hundreds of millennia—is due in a few years, but the current map will speed breeding for many valuable new crop traits.

New research from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and partners found “modest gains in women’s empowerment” for female agricultural workers in Northwest Syria.

Through field work focusing on female contractors and wage laborers, researchers analyzed gender relations in the region and studied power dynamics within households. Women’s presence in agriculture is increasing in North Africa and the Middle East; in some parts, women comprise 60 percent of the workforce, though this does not necessarily result in increased access to or control of resources like land, information, technical support or income.

Congratulations to Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, former CIMMYT wheat breeder and winner of the 2014 World Food Prize. Rajaram is being recognized for his distinguished career in wheat research that led to the release of more than 480 wheat varieties in 51 countries. These high-yielding varieties now occupy more than 58 million hectares worldwide. Before retiring in 2008, he spent 33 years at CIMMYT working with Dr. Norman Borlaug and as director of the Global Wheat Program, and he later moved to ICARDA.

Researchers worldwide are invited to submit proposals for work as part of the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC), a global partnership being established by CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT) and facilitated by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Enter here to read more about the HeDWIC and submit an application for consideration and possible funding.

Improving and sustaining wheat productivity gains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP) and other parts of Pakistan is vital to addressing national food security, as wheat is a major staple in the country.

Wheat is the most important food crop worldwide and a principal source of nutrients in some of the poorest countries of Aisa, Africa, and Latin America. But wheat, like all living of organisms, is unimaginably complex.